But the serenity was moderated somewhat by the buzz of rebuilding that persists in Belle Harbor, which was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy last year. Nearly nine months after the storm, crews were hammering away at houses, landscapers were coaxing gardens back to life and Dumpsters remained parked on streets for material still being cleared from homes.

Beachfront properties were destroyed and houses flooded, either to basement level or higher, residents said. Homes on Beach 130th Street were destroyed by a fire that broke out after the storm.

Market activity since Sandy reflects the gap between the appeal of a seaside enclave and anxiety about its vulnerability, on a strip of land between Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic. On the one hand, brokers report interest, as people want to live near the beach. “We’re selling everything we get right now,” said Lisa Jackson, who owns Rockaway Properties, adding that her agency had closed on 19 houses since January. On the other, some shoppers seeking a piece of paradise worry that the cost of flood insurance will rise once the Federal Emergency Management Agency completes a review based on surveys done after Sandy, a process that officials say could take a couple of years.

Dan Repetti, a salesman for a school photography firm who lives in Bergen Beach, Brooklyn, wants to buy in Belle Harbor despite cost concerns. “It’s beautiful,” said Mr. Repetti, who recently married. “Once you pass over the Marine Parkway bridge, it’s a whole new world.” Yet he acknowledged that a sharp increase in insurance costs could strain his finances and make it hard ever to sell the property.

Ms. Jackson says many homes in the area already cost their owners $458 a year in flood insurance. If FEMA deems these properties at even higher risk, she added, annual costs could rise into the thousands.

But Mr. Repetti noted that with agencies expanding flood zones to include areas like Bergen Beach — opening them up to the possibility of high premiums — he might as well buy in Belle Harbor, where he always wanted to settle. He hopes to find the right property by the end of the year.

The area, which covers a little more than a square mile, offers obvious charms. Streets are tree-lined, and many houses have wraparound porches adorned with flowers. Neighbors know one another, and the beach is at most a few blocks away.

Brokers say buyers’ desire to live here often outweighs fear. “Some people are scared but people still want to be here,” Ms. Jackson said. “It doesn’t feel like you are in the city. It’s our own little world, very quiet, very peaceful.”

Robin Shapiro of Robin Shapiro Realty, who lives nearby in Neponsit, said the market was even active right after the storm, with demand for rentals among displaced residents. “If you are afraid,” she said, “this isn’t the place for you.” What she points out to clients is the proximity of this beach community to Manhattan. “That’s what it’s all about.”

What You’ll Find

According to the 2010 census, the two tracts that cover Belle Harbor have about 7,000 residents, 92 percent white, 5 percent Hispanic, and the rest Asian and African-American. The housing stock is mostly single-family homes in a variety of styles — a beachfront contemporary, an 80-year-old shingled colonial, a brick Tudor or a showy large house recently built on a tear-down lot.

Ms. Shapiro says about 40 houses are currently for sale. Most are being sold by older residents, who did not want to face the expense and inconvenience of repairs, or whose children convinced them that Sandy necessitated a move to higher ground.

Some have been repaired and retrofitted with new boilers and heating systems; others are being sold as is.

What You’ll Pay

Prices have fallen since Sandy. Brokers estimate that they are 10 to 30 percent lower than before the storm. Just how much a property is discounted depends on different factors; discounts are not as steep on repaired houses.

Also, some sales have been in cash, because banks will not approve mortgages on homes whose kitchens are not fully functioning or whose walls are not finished. Ms. Jackson says some buyers, seeking such a property so they can redo it to their taste, receive a larger discount because they are paying in cash. Four of the 19 sales her agency completed this year were for cash, she said.

Current listings range from a large beachfront property listed at $1.9 million to smaller homes on the bayside that sell for $550,000 to $650,000.